HW/PC members' opportunity to “meet up” near CHICAGO on Saturday, October 12

Dear HW/PC (HealingWell/Prostate Cancer) members, If you are in or nearby Chicago , you are invited to meet and break bread together with other HW/PC members, and our own prostate cancer (Genitourinary Urologic Cancer Committee, the GU Committee) patient advocate, Tony Crispino, while he is in town for the SWOG Fall 2013 Group Meeting. Tony, also known here as "TC-LasVegas," is president of the Las Vegas chapter of UsTOO, and as most of you also know he served us well for three years as HW/PC site moderator.   ( Please read:   Tony’s SWOG bio .)   He’s also a downright good guy who has committed a large part of his life to serving others. All here are invited and encouraged to participate.   If you can come, please plan to be in the Chicago area by mid-afternoon on Saturday, October 12 for socializing, followed by dinner.   I will serve as event coordinator, so if you have interest in participating, please contact me via my HW email address for event details (click on my username to access my profile and email address).   Those with whom I have already been in contact with, I will continue to follow-up with you via email.     Some of you may ask, “What is SWOG?”   If nothing else , what we should all know is that SWOG is responsible for about 85% of all prostate cancer clinical trials.   Here’s some more details: SWOG is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported cancer research cooperative group that designs and conducts multidisciplinary clinical trials to improve the practice of medicine in preventing, detecting and treating cancer, and to enhance the quality of life for cancer survivors. There are more than 4,000 researchers in the group’s network practice at more than 500 institutions, including 24 of the NCI-designated cancer centers. SWOG enrolls an average of 5,000 cancer patients and healthy participants into group studies, and approximately 30,000 more are involved annually in ongoing clinical trials. SWOG stands for the SouthWest Oncology Group, although today it simply goes by “SWOG” in recognition of its national scope. swog.org   Again, the date is Saturday, October 12     Post Edited (Casey59) : 9/23/2013 8:44:08 AM (GMT-6)

I look forward to seeing all who can make it. My schedule during the week keeps getting tighter but that Saturday is dedicated to visiting anyone who can make it. I am even now free Saturday early for any excursion as well. So maybe hanging at Navy Peer or whatever.

My Wednesday night is now looking booked. Previously I had it opened but we have an advocates dinner now mandatory. The public session of the GU Committee gets out at 7:00pm Friday. We do have a non-mandatory cocktail party afterwards but that ends at 8:00pm. I might be looking for dinner mates after that.

Tony

It would be great to have some "Downstaters" in attendance. (I'm one myself, having grown up 30 miles east of St. Louis).

Please join us if you can… As of now, we are tentatively planning drinks & dinner for six seven in the Chicago-area on Saturday, October 12 .   I will keep this thread in the forefront, on-and-off for the next week or so, so that everyone who has a potential interest in a little face-to-face human interaction and camaraderie can develop their own plans accordingly. If you are from the upper Midwest, or plan to be (or could plan to be) in the Chicago-area  on Saturday, October 12 , please drop me an email via my HW email address for event details (click on my username to access my profile and email address).   (I will continue to communicate offline, through email, with those who have expressed initial interest)     Runner lady , I saw your posting, above, and I hope that you will join us.   Please click on my profile name to reveal my HW email address, and send me a quick note if you are potentially interested...I can share more detailed info about our plans via email exchange.  (I noticed that you do not have an email address available in your profile, or else I would have emailed you instead of posting here...)

Since being DX a year ago, I'm just starting out on this journey. I work part time and could make the trip (as of today, not sure if my wife can get off work). I'd like to make the trip as I feel like I'm a first grader in the PCa world and really need to be around guys that I might could obtain any information from. I live in the Memphis, TN area and have been there only once back in 2000 with my son-in-law and three exchange students. Any information about where to stay and any meetings\events to attend would be helpful!

Thanks,

Dave in Bartlett, TN

Casey, still wish I could be there, even though I don't live in your direct area. It's also the day we leave for Charleston to go on our cruise. Perhaps if you ever do this again.

David in SC

Casey,
Forget e-,mails..'I'll be there! Have it all mapped out and expect some Wisconsin New Glarus beer--Yoop's suggestion...
Bill